El Ritmo Frio
by ArchFaith
Summary: In this continuation to 'La Rima Tibia', the narrator must deal with a great tragedy that has occured while on the journey home from Paris. She is on the verge of death. What will happen? UPDATED Is he ? Or maybe he's ?. Or maybe even ?
1. Nightmare

Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix. I own nothing.

Note: If you have not read La Rima Tibia (Chapters 1-6), my other story, do not read this fic. You have to read La Rima Tibia to understand what this fic is about.

Presenting the continuation to La Rima Tibia...

El Ritmo Frio

(Cold Beat)

Chapter 1: Nightmare

by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)

Water sloshing into the cabin, drowning my throat and lungs....I gasped for air, gulping the liquid around me. My hand, tightening against my beloved's...

Tightening...and then letting go...

-

I ache so badly I cannot move. I cannot breath. I cannot think.

Am I dead? No, I do not think so. Heaven doesn't smell like cleaning chemicals and sterile sheets.

I find myself in a bed-the hospital, presumably- dressed in a thin hospital gown, the cold air inching up my freezing spine. My forehead, my hands, my legs from the knees down...all wrapped in bandages. I was hooked up to a respirator, and I was making good use of it.

I was disoriented. A second ago...in the plane, crashing into the ocean, unable to locate any oxygen, sinking, down, down, down...

Now where was I? In this small room, with myself on a bed. And a TV on the wall. And a bedpan sitting on the table next to my bed.

I sit up, with a groan. Almost immediately, a nurse comes into the room, wearing a head cap and gloves. She gives me a gentle smile. "So you're finally awake. You're lucky you survived.

"Wha..." I try to ask, but too confused to find the words. I frown and look at her.

"I guess you're pretty confused right now. Well, I'm Irami Nakajima, a nurse here at Tokyo Hospital. Your plane crashed into the ocean two days ago, and emergency workers were able to locate the passengers and bring them here to the hospital. Your name is—"

"Did anyone die?" I ask breathlessly, wondering if my love was alright.

"Luckily, no. Most of the passengers were bruised or waterlogged, but not seriously injured. In fact, I think you had the most serious injuries." Here she paused. "Well, except for..."

Despite the dull aching in my chest, the ringing in my ears, the fatigue in my legs, I manage to stand. I pulled the respirator out of my mouth and gulped the stale hospital air. Irami looked shocked. "Please, don't get out of bed! You're weak enough as it is!" She tried to push me back down, but I prevailed and stood.

"Who has more serious injuries?!" I demand.

"Well..."

"Take me to the person right now!" I scream.

Irami sighed. "It's against hospital rules."

"But I have to..."

She could sense my anxiety through my eyes. She went around to the corner of the room, where, next to the window, there stood a folded-up wheelchair. She unfolded it, and pushed it to where I stood. "Get in."

-

The hospital corridors were white. Blindingly white. I had to squint as Irami wheeled me, draped in a bathrobe, into the elevator and out to the floor above mine. Everywhere, patients sat in rooms, some children, some adults. Mostly heaps of blankets, with relatives clustered about. An occasional sob would be heard, to mark the passing of a loved one. I would never sob. My loved one would not pass yet...

It seemed as though the corridors would never end, that all I would ever see would be doors and doors and more doors, until she pushed me through glass doors that read, in bold white letters:

LONG TERM

My heart froze. I did not know what long term meant, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it was not what I wanted.

She pushed me into a room. A room very much like mine. Walls, TV, bedpan...but what caught me was the figure that lay on the bed, hooked to a respirator, breathing shallowly, eyes closed. My heart stood still and refused to beat.

The figure was dressed in a gown, a blanket covering everything up to the neck. So pale...almost dead.

"Oh God," I whispered, unbelieving.

Irami's voice penetrated the shield of shock that had covered me. "It's been this way for two days, ever since the plane was recovered. In a coma..."

Water trickles down my cheek, crawling vertically until it falls off my face and splashes on the fall. Tears, like the water which put my love in a coma...

Emotions flood my mind, my brain trying to sort out what I should be thinking.

It is all my fault.

I should have never done this.

I am so sorry.

I love you.

I failed you.

Shorty, don't leave me...

TBC 

Note: Nurse Irami Nakajima is Kitty-N's elder cousin.


	2. Waiting

Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix. I own nothing.

SPECIAL NOTE: I know you guys are all dying to know who he is!!!! I don't wanna keep you on the edge of your seat, but we have a few more things to go through before I get to that. I fact, I don't want to torture you, so my Pander Forever fic is being put off for this. Say, after you review this chapter, why not review Chapter 6 of Pander Forever? I sure could use some encouragement.

Oh yeah...I think you've pretty much narrowed down who he could be. In your review, tell me who you think it is:

1. Gas-O 2. Hamm 3. Heat 4. Hiro-kun 5. Strike

El Ritmo Frio

(Cold Beat)

Chapter 2: Waiting

by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)

"You."

The words stung me. They were said as if I was a speck of dirt on the floor, or a piece of garbage on the street. Spoken as if to kill me.

"You."

I close eyes and try to imagine that I am not there, that I am far away, from this insanity.

I am dressed in my regular BAG2 outfit, my left arm in a sling. I still have a few bruises, but they have healed. My ribs do not hurt any longer, although the beating red heart enclosed inside them still does.

It has been four days since I first saw her, seemingly dead, lying in the coma ward. I still can't believe it.

The days and nights passed without meaning. All that was on my mind was her. I ate, slept, watched TV. But...it was a blur. Irami and the other doctors and nurses tried to cheer me up, but to no avail. All I thought of was her. I'm not obsessed...just very worried. And sorry. Sorry I ever invited Shorty to come with me to Paris. If she dies, I'll die too.

She was light.

I am well now. Well enough to be sent home. They gave me back my clothes, and my bag, which had been salvaged from the submerged plane. They told me there was nothing I could do, go home, we'll inform you if anything happens.

No. I'm staying. I will stay until she wakes. However long that may take.

Irami, the kindly young nurse, had pity on me. Or maybe it was just because of my looks and fame from dancing. She agreed to keep me in one of the spare patients' rooms while I waited for Shorty to awaken. I had promised not to interfere with the doctors' work, keeping myself in this room.

I had taken on the task of informing Columbo. I had dialed the number, and waited for the phone to ring. Finally, a squeaky little voice answered. I can still recall our conversation...

"Columbo? It's me."

"Huh? Where's Shorty? You were supposed to be home four days ago?"

"Yes, I know...I'm calling from the hospital."

"Hospital? Wha...What happened?!"

"There was a plane accident. I'm okay, but Shorty's..."

I sensed panic behind the receiver. Columbo's voice was tight. "No! That's not possible!"

"I-It is..."

A noise at the other end signaled that the mouse had dropped the phone. I could still hear him screaming: "Mr. Tomohura! Mrs. Tomohura! Shorty's at the hospital!"

Mr. and Mrs. Kentaro and Nyoko Tomohura. Shorty's parents. Who would always leave her alone. Who would never pay attention to her. Who didn't love her.

They were here. I had made the call only a few minutes ago, and they were already here.

I step outside the door of my temporary room and see them standing next to the nurses' desk. Mr. Tomohura was a tall, stately gentlemen, dressed in a business suit. Mrs. Tomohura was a lively, beautiful lady, clothed in a pink dress. Columbo sat on Mr. Tomohura's shoulder, wearing his usual red cap. They all appeared to be worried and anxious, talking to Irami about Shorty's condition.

Looking at them, I could see where Shorty got her chestnut hair and violet eyes. But she owed them nothing.

I quietly closed the door to the room and approached the desk. I could hear the last of Irami's conversation: "...seems someone else on the plane knew her. Oh, here he is..."

They turned to look at me. I could see their eyes filled with pain and sadness. For what? They didn't care about her. Only I cared about her. She belongs with ME.

Columbo, through the damp tears that soaked his fur, pointed his paw at me. "That's him! He was the one who convinced Shorty to go to Paris! It's his fault!"

"What?" Mrs. Tomohura asked, through her tear-stained handkerchief. In a flash, anger mixed in with the emotions on her face. She marched up to me and slapped me. Hard. So hard blood began to flow from my mouth. "You. You! How could you, you bastard?! How could you do this to my baby! I hate you!!" With this she broke into tears.

"I...I..."

Mr. Tomohura had also changed. "You're that garbage from the BAG2 Tournament," he said calmly, the anger shielded by his tone of voice. "I swear, I'll have you killed..."

"Please, sir, I didn't mean..."

"You killed Shorty!" Columbo squeaked.

With this, I broke. I had tried to be calm, tried to explain, but nothing was working. I had only tried to give Shorty what she needed most in her life-love. No love from her father. No love from her mother. Love from Columbo, but not enough to get her through. I love her.

"What kind of parents leave their child alone all the time?!?!" I demanded, my voice rising. I was so loud probably the whole hospital could hear me. But I didn't care. The world should know the truth. That these horrible people who were her parents were now crying over her, sad that their little puppet was gone.

"You left her all alone in that mansion with no one but Columbo!! She may have been rich, but she wasn't happy! She had no friends, dancing was her only hobby!! Almost no one loved her. Except Columbo, but she needed more than that love! She came to me, I invited her to Paris, we had a good time, and I LOVED her."

Mr. and Mrs. Tomohura were silent, their tears dripping down their cheeks. Everyone on the coma ward, it seemed, had stopped their work and were looking at me. This piece of garbage from BAG. The one who was angry.

After what seemed like eternity, my dark-circled eyes scanning Shorty's parents, Mrs. Tomohura took her handkerchief away from her nose. Her eyes drifted to the floor. "You're right," she said slowly. "We neglected her. We tried to give her everything, but we couldn't get the loving part right."

Mr. Tomohura placed his hand on her shoulder. "We never realized," he whispered, "that she needed all that love, I guess. We thought Columbo would be able to provide her with all the love she wanted, but we were wrong."

Columbo sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Why do you love her like you do?" he asked me. A rather awkward question.

"I don't know," I answered, my eyes filling with water. Quite a sight to see. A popular diplomat and a famous supermodel, a talking mouse, I...in the middle of the hall, crying our eyes out, two for love they didn't give, one for the love he couldn't provide, and one longing for the familiar face to pop up suddenly, smile, say, "I love you..."

-

"We're going down to the cafeteria to get some snacks. Do you want anything?" Columbo stood at the entrance to my room, where I lay on the makeshift hospital cot, my eyes still red.

I turn my head over and answer him. "Yeah. A bag of chips and a soda."

Columbo nodded and disappeared. I sighed and closed my eyes.

After our heart-wrenching cry-a-thon, Mr. and Mrs. Tomohura, along with Columbo, had also opted to stay at the hospital with Shorty, until she awoke. They were placed in the room next to mine. That was two days ago.

The hospital had been swamped with telephone calls for me. From all of our old teammates: Frida, Comet, Kelly, Tsutomu, Bi-O, Capoeira, Kitty-N, even Robo-Z and Pander, among others. All were extremely worried and anxious. They all knew and loved Shorty.

But the last phone call was the one that was imprinted in my mind. Irami gestured to me and had me come over to the nurses' desk to pick up the receiver.

"Hello?" I greeted, wondering.

"Hi," a deep female voice answered.

"Pinks." A swirl of magenta floated through my mind, like the perfume she always wore.

"I heard about Shorty. I really hope she's alright. She's such a little angel..."

"Pinky, you're a fortune teller. You can see the future! What do you see in your crystal ball?"

"I already tried that baby...I'm not sure about this one...whether she'll live or die..."

I close my eyes and inhale. She'll live. If it kills me, she'll live.

I wanna go see her.

I get up and stride quickly along down the hall, through the double doors that say LONG TERM and into Shorty's room. There she lies, her respirator plugged into her, the heart rate monitor next to bed, beeping, beating like her unconscious heart. I pull up a chair and sit next to her, hold her hand.

"Everything's gonna be fine," I say. "You'll be up in no time."

I must be bad luck.

The heart rate monitor...its usual, steady beeps showing heartbeats...it was slowing...

"No..." I heard my voice squeak. Not my own voice, but the voice of a scared man, trying to ward off Death from his beloved.

I bolt out of my chair and rush out of the room. What kind of a hospital is this? Why is no one here? "HELP! Help, somebody, she's dying, she's dying! Help her—!"

Should I go for help? I look back to the bed. The heart rate monitor is almost silent, only a beep every ten seconds. She was almost dead.

I sit on her bed, take her in my arms, on my lap, and hold her face close to mine, my hand stroking the soft brown hair.

"Don't give up, Shorty, no. You can out of this, remember? You can do whatever you want, and you won't die! Pull out of this, Shorty! You have to! For me! For yourself! 'Cause I love you so much!"

My response was a choked expression on her face, as if she was trying to breathe but couldn't, as if she had submitted to darkness.

"Shorty...?! SHORTY?!"

Gone.

TBC 

There's more. Stay tuned.


	3. I've Got to Feel the Warmth of You

Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix. I own nothing.

El Ritmo Frio

(Cold Beat)

Chapter 3: I've Got to Feel the Warmth of You

by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)

I was in his arms. He was holding me tightly, yelling, screaming, crying...."Don't die, no, don't die...don't leave me, Shorty!"

Was I dead?

I could feel tears falling from off his cheek onto mine. I wanted to tell him not to weep for me, not to be forlorn. When he was sad, I was also sad.

The bed where I lay, wires surrounding me, my cold body clothed in a thin gown. The only warmth I could feel, the only warmth in the world, the only warmth that was good enough for me...was him.

Was this my premonition? My dream? "Shorty...I don't want you to leave me, but sooner or later you'll have to." But he didn't want me to leave! I knew he wanted me to stay with him. What had started out as a crush on my part and suddenly developed into deep love for him. And I wanted that to remain.

Yet I felt myself slipping...My consciousness was fading away. My head hurt so badly...yes, a nice long rest would be good for me. Long, long, nice, rest...

My ears could hear the sounds of the monitor next to my bed. The heart-rate monitor. It was slowing down...my heartbeats were getting slower.

I am weary. Weary of this world. Of no love. But...my parents and Columbo had been in my room earlier. I could detect them crying. Columbo gave me a kiss on the forehead, and my parents held my hands, crying. They told me that when (when, not IF) I awoke, they would be the best parents a child could ever have. They would love me. But was it another empty lie? Like all the others?

No, not this time.

I wasn't going to let myself die.

The warmth...

My mind flashes back to the night, almost two weeks ago, when I appeared at his door, soaked and wet. How he had undressed me, tucked me in. Fed me breakfast, talked to Columbo. Lied to the woman, gotten on the plane. Touring, leaving me alone for the convention. He never did tell me what it was about...

The moonlight dance on top of the Eiffel Tower...our kiss...Je t'aime...

The water seeping into my system, trying to cast me into the darkness. It had succeeded.

The monitor slowly began to stop. Its beeping became slower until it faded away.

Was I dead?

Yes.

No! I'm not going to die now! I'm going to live and be with my parents and Columbo and everyone in BAG. And most of all, him...

Ahead of me, I saw a light. No, not yet. I don't want to go there yet. Let me stay.....! Please, let me stay...!

I manage to pull away from the light's tug. I kick my legs and scream. I'm gonna live! Whether it kills me, I'll live!

I can feel my consciousness settling back into my body. My mind is back and positioned.

I am whole again. I've been given another chance.

My eyes open.

I am still in his arms. That is the way I want it to be.

He looks at me, surprised. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He is speechless.

In that very moment, I suddenly realize the meaning of my song, Happy Heart in the Sunshine. I've got to feel the warmth of you...I've got to feel your warmth. And he's got to feel my warmth too.

We need it to live.

I give him a weary smile. "Hey."

Note: Stay tuned for the Epilogue. You will finally find out who he is.

Special Note: If you are not open-minded, I suggest you do not read the next chapter. It will probably be up by...tonight, in fact.

Maybe you've noticed...I think that my writing was a bit more detailed when I began writing La Rima Tibia, but has become a little more simple as I finish El Ritmo Frio. This is because I feel a lot of detail is not needed for the rest of the story.


	4. At Last

Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix. I own nothing.

Note: Here we are, peeps! End of the line! This chapter finally reveals who he is. Once again, if you are NOT OPEN-MINDED, do not read this chapter. And if you don't like the guy I picked, too bad! When I started writing this fic, I knew all along who it was gonna be. I would have revealed it in the second chapter of La Rima Tibia if not for a very useful review. Oh yeah, and expect my Pander Forever to start getting updates again.

Special Note: When you review, be sure NOT TO REVEAL HIS NAME AND IDENTITY in your review!!!! People are gonna find out before they read the story!!!!

And now, presenting...

El Ritmo Frio

(Cold Beat)

Chapter 4: At Last

by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)

Felt the sun on my face, in my eyes, in my soul. It felt good.

The sun is shining on me now...as I walk up the path from out of the forest road up to the bank of Tokyo Bay. I wear my hip-hop threads again. Columbo is not present; he doesn't need to be, anymore. I've found my own identity.

After my recovery, my parents kept their word. They started spending large amounts of time with me. Any time they could squeeze in, they were with me. I loved it. After all these years, they were finally warming up to the fact that I was their daughter.

Everyone in BAG was overjoyed. They threw me a welcome home party when I arrived back from the hospital. Balloons, streamers, dancing...you name it, they had it. I was showered with presents...opening them, laughing, hugging the giver. The last present I received was from him. It was a beautiful locket that had a tiny painting of Paris on one side and an image of me and him. Shaped like a tear, for all the sad tears I had shed, and all the happy tears I would shed.

I wear it now, as I stroll up the path to stand under the willow trees. He is already there, lying on a checkered red-and-white picnic blanket. He looks up into the blue sky, his eyes shielded by dark glasses, trying to keep out the sun's glare.

I stand over him and smile. "Hey Shorty-pie," he greets, patting the area next to him. I lie down and place my head on his shoulder. We watch the sun sliding down under the billowing clouds, not quite out of sight yet.

"Paris was fun," I mumble unconsciously.

"Yeah. I know you had fun," he answers, shifting.

"I wish that could happen every day," I whisper honestly.

"Wouldn't you get bored?"

"Nope...Would you?"

"Maybe," he replies jokingly. He strokes my pigtailed hair. "I think we have both grown a lot over the last few weeks, Shortstuff. I mean, you and I..."

I grin. "I know I'm definitely older," I reply.

"You're not the naive little kid I used to know."

"I was never naive!"

He laughs and sits up. I rise with him. "Yeah, and you used to be a jerk!"

"Every guy in Bust-A-Groove was a jerk at some time or other."

"But you were the jerkiest guy of all!"

"Hey!" He shakes his head. "Okay, I used to be, but now I'm not. 'Sides, I got skills no one else's got."

"For real? Hey...the convention was about...?"

"Investing."

"You mean like business?"

"Yeah. Business investing."

"I never knew you did anything like that."

"What, you think I stay at home and pick my nose? I go out and do stuff." He crossed his arms. "You know so much about me and you didn't know that?"

"Well, you ARE secretive sometimes."

He laughs. "So are you." He leans back on the blanket. We snuggle and watch the sun disappear beneath the clouds. Boats floating in the Bay start to pull up their anchors and head to the piers.

"We should be leaving soon," he tells me, hugging me close.

"Just a little longer," I plead. I point to the sky. "Look! The stars are coming out!"

"Make a wish," he suggests. I close my eyes and wish: I wish this happiness stays with me forever.

"Now you make one," I tell him.

He shakes his head. "I made one a few weeks ago. It already came true."

"What was it?"

"That I would find the right person for me." He looks up at the twinkling stars, beginning to shine brightly. "If you wanna know the truth, I never thought I'd be ending up with you, Shorty. Out of the other girls—Frida, Comet, Kitty-N, Pinky, Kelly-you were the one I thought the least of."

"Actually, I never really thought I'd be with you either," I answer. "The other guys were so much better!"

He playfully tickles me. "Hey!"

I give his outfit a tug and snatch the glasses off his face. "HEY!"

We calm down and laugh. "Hahahaha," he chuckles. "Why do I put up with you, Shortstuff? What do I love you like I do?"

I grin and embrace him. "'Cause you can't resist loving somebody as cute as me."

We lie there, still and quiet, under the stars. I smile, contented.

All this searching, all this loneliness, all this torture...it's gone.

I feel safe. Looking into his eyes, I can tell he feels secure as well.

I feel your warmth full blast...

"Hiro."

THE END

ArchFaith is not responsible for any seizures you might be having at this time.


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